Cushion structure



Patented Feb. 6, 1945 UNITED .STATES PATENT a.. @FFICE1 i cUsnroN STRUCTURE CharlesEdward Lenz, Baltimore, Md. Application-:Merch 1, 1943, serial Nannies-1 (o1, aLl-337')- 4 Claims.

This invention relates` to cushion structures and more particularly to chair, seat, or other upholstered cushions. constructed of fabric. and brous. material, without dependence upon the usual complement-of metal springs customarily embodied in high grade upholstered. cushions.

An object of the invention is-to providea cushion of the character referred to including a novel and improved arrangement of outer padding of fibrous material and a pre-formed inner core member or unit of fibrous-material so shaped and sol positioned relative'to the outer padding. of fibrous material as to impart to the complete cushion a desirable shape, resiliency, and resistance to becoming distorted or-seti after long use.

Another object of the invention is to prov-ide a novel and improved core unit adapted to be embodied in cushions in a manner tofprovde the aforenamed desirable characteristics;

Other objects will become Iapparent. from ar reading of the followingA description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing, `in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a cushion embodying the invention Figure 2 is a section on the: line 2-.2 of Figure l but showing only an vinner' core unit :andi omitting structure shown in Figure l as surrounding the core unit, Figurez issomewhatdiagrammatic, showing layers .of brous material. in less compacted relation than 4they occupy' in. actual practice.

Figure -3 is a plan of a pair of strips of fibrous batting or similar material laid lengthwise of each other preparatory to being rolled up 4for forming the core unit; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View illustrating the relationship of the strips shown in Figure 3 after the rolling up operation has been just started.

In its general nature the cushion structure shown as illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a central core unit A, a surrounding layered body Bl of resilient material, and a cover C of any suitable upholstery fabric. In the illustrative embodiment the cover C includes a top I, bottom 2, which may be alike so that the cushion can be reversed, and sides 3 held together by stitching 4. It will be understood, however, that the invention does not reside in and is not limited to the particular form of the cover per se.

The core unit A, which itself preferably is of special construction as describedv hereinafter,

preferably is of smaller overall dimensions than `ity which vis very desirable and advantageous..

:The body vB preferably includes a plurality of layers 5,56, and 'I of fibrous material, such as cotton batting, above the .core A and a plurality .of .layers 8 9, `and I-Ilof similar material .belowthe unit A. The marginal. portions y,of the layers 'preferably extend. outwardly beyond `all edges of the core unit A, the marginal portions of the layers 'I .and B being substantially parallel 4to .and adjacent each-other. lPreferably all of the layers extend completelyacross the space between opposite .side `edges of .the cover C. The layers ,5.-l0` .and `hence the complete cushion derive ,a smoothly .curved convex shape from the convex vshape of the pre-formed core. unit A taken in connection with the extension of' the'layers beyond the edges of the unit A.

The number and thickness of the` ylayers* of body material above and below the core `unil; Av

may be varied according to several factors, e.' g. the size of the com-plete cushion, the thickness `ofbattin-g or other layer material to be used', and

the .quality Aor characteristicsof the. batting .material. The commercialv manufacture,` of a large number of cushions of a size suitablefor `the average upholstered chair has indicated that best results may be obtained by using three preformed layers of cotton batting of a rather closely compacted or felted nature both above and below the core unit A.

In accordance with the invention the core unit A'is, in itself, of a novel and improved construction. As` shownin Figures 2, 3, and 4 it preferably is formed of two tapered strips II and I2 of fibrous material such as cotton batting, flatrolled into an assembly which is convex or domeshaped both top and bottom; In forming the assembly, the strips II and I2 are laid lengthwise of each other with the narrower end IIEL of the strip II adjacent the wider end I2b of the strip I2, and with the wider end IIb of the strip Il adjacent the narrower end I2a of the strip I2 (see Figure 3). A fold or nat-roll is then formed as indicated at |13 in Figure 4, and the two strips then are rolled up completely. It will be i seen that in the rolled-up assembly there is more fibrous material at the central portion than at the edges, the result being to give the unit A the desired dome shape, tapering from maximum thickness at the center to minimum thickness at the edges.

The rolled up assembly of the strips II and' I2 is encased by an upper sheet I4 of batting and a lower sheet I5 of batting, the sheets I4 and I5 I8 has thin marginal 'anchoring portions I8a exv tending beyond two opposite edges ofthe body of the unit A. The anchoring portions are inter--` leaved between the outwardly extending mar- "ginal portions of the layers 'I and 8 of the body B, the portions I3a being, in effect, squeezed or held between the layers 'I and 8, thereby maintaining the unit A centered with respectto the body B.

Cushions embodying a core unit in the man-` ner disclosed labove are very comfortable as established by actual normal use. Cushions embodying the invention and Whichhave been subjected to thousands of repeated mechanically applied loadings and unloadings have exhibited almost complete lack of any tendency to be`` come permanently distorted or set. They retain their original smoothly convex surfaces under the hardest use. This is attributable largely to the incorporation in the complete cushion of a core unit which is of dome shape, and to the construction of the core unit itself. The rolling of the material forming the core unit disposes the fibres thereof in multitudinous directions in-` stead of allowing them to extend more or less `all in the same general direction. This enhances the units resiliency and shape-restoring characteristics horizontally as well as vertically and makes for increased comfortl and long life. The

batting or like material used in forming the core` unit A may be and preferably is less dense and llessvclosely compacted than the more felt-like material in the layer structure B. This too recomplete cushion because the core unit displaces The sheet I4 may be faced a weight of layer structure B greater than the Weight of the core unit itself.

The cushion structure disclosed embodies the invention in the form now preferred but vit will be understood that changes may be made without departing fromv the invention as defined in the claims.

I claim: 1. In a cushion, a pre-formed resilient core unit of smaller overall dimensions than the complete cushion, said unit comprising a rolled assembly including two similarly tapered strips of brous batting laid together lengthwise of each other 1 with the narrower end of each adjacent the wider end of the other respectively; a plurality of. layers of resilient material both above and below said core unit and having marginal "portions extending outwardly beyond the edges of the core unit; and a cover enclosing said layers and said core unil; with the marginal portions ofthe two of said layers which are respectively ladjacent the top and bottom of. thecore unit being substantially parallel to and adjacent each other.

2. In a cushion, a pre-formed resilient core unit of 'smaller overall dimensions than the complete cushion,v said unit comprising a rolled as- "sembly-including two similarly tapered strips of fibrous batting laidtogether lengthwise of each other with the narrower end of each adjacent the wider end of the other respectively; at least one layer of resilient material both above and below said core unit and having marginal portions extending outwardly beyond the edges of the core unit; and a cover enclosing said layers and said core .unit with the marginal portions of said layers being substantially parallel to and adjacent e'ach other.

3. A pre-formed resilient core unit for a cushion, said unit including a rolled assembly of` two similarly tapered strips of fibrous material laid together lengthwise of each other with ythe narrower end of each disposed adjacent the wider end of the other respectively.

and means for maintaining said strips in rolled up assembly.

l CHARLES EDWARD LENZ. 

